Novelist, prize-winning poet, performer and professional Tarot Card reader, Naomi Foyle was born in London, grew up in Hong Kong, Liverpool and Saskatchewan and, after a decade of globetrotting, now lives in Brighton.

Originally trained in theatre, Naomi has written libretti and verse drama for the Canadian and London stage, and has collaborated with artists, musicians and filmmakers on projects including an award-winning videopoem. She has also published reviews, travel journalism, and short fiction. Her lyrical writing, often drawing on her peripatetic past, explores personal, political and environmental trauma, her casts of international characters embarking on quests for justice, healing and growth.

Holder of an MA in Creative and Life Writing from Goldsmiths College, and a doctorate in Creative Writing from Bangor University, Naomi is a Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing and English at the University of Chichester. A prizewinner in the 2012 RSPB Nature Poetry competition, for her ‘poetry and essays about Ukraine’, Naomi was one of the global recipients of the 2014 Hyrhorii Skovoroda Award.
‘Naomi Foyle’s voice is confident, fervent, erotic, lyrical, distinctive. Her writing is bold and unflinching, imaginative … thrilling and disconcertingly edgy.‘ — PBS Bulletin, Autumn 2008

‘Naomi Foyle’s brilliantly detailed, sensually absorbed, light-saturated mix of personal findings and their extension into the political, make her poetry my sort of poetry … I go to her poems to see things shine clear as the light in a diamond.’ — Jeremy Reed

‘Truly original new work in verse and prose, as well as some adventurous, idiomatic translations, unsettle complacency and challenge expectations. Ostentatious, flirtatious, sometimes witty, technically ambitious and expansively sensuous, these poems [are] innovative but far from obscure, entertaining but never escapist.’ — Carol Rumens

reviews

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THE BLOOD OF THE HOOPOE

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‘There is no doubt that Naomi Foyle is an excellent writer. When she is on top of her game she can amuse, horrify, and pull at your heartstrings in equal measure. Her descriptions of Is-land and Non-land are extremely vivid, her skills as a poet translating into enchantingly lyrical prose throughout most of these books.’ — Strange Horizons

ROOK SONG

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‘The second instalment of the Gaia Chronicles, ROOK SONG continues to develop Astra’s story, taking the reader through many illuminating, horrifying and overwhelming avenues… once the story really starts, it doesn’t let up. The highly politicised narrative is an enthralling and absorbing read… Where the first book offered a shocking, but somewhat aspirational alternative way of living, ROOK SONG delves further into the political influence that enables the way of life the Gaian’s are privileged to inhabit… Offering plenty of twists and surprises, ROOK SONG outdoes its predecessor with a more developed story and plenty of conspiracies that pull the reader in. Book one was a comment on how society should live to protect the planet, book two is a comment on how people should prevent international conflict and wars. We can only wait with bated breath to see what book three will campaign for.’ — Starburst

‘ROOK SONG is brave and unexpected… if you like your SF intelligent and stimulating do yourself a favour and pick up both ASTRA and ROOK SONG. You won’t regret it.’ — Upcoming4me

‘Foyle has built a fascinating portrait, often reminiscent of Ursula K. Le Guin in its layered complexity, and threaded it into a fascinating coming of age story. Gripping.’ — Love Reading

‘It’s hard-hitting, but it’s poignant and incredibly thought-provoking at the same time… Naomi Foyle has a mastery of plotting and a way with words that’s truly remarkable.’ — Over The Effing Rainbow

ASTRA

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‘Readable and entertaining.’ — Interzone

‘Shocking though it might be in some respects, ASTRA certainly provides food for thought… the story quickly becomes engrossing. The ending is abrupt, but it makes you crave the second instalment of the Gaia Chronicles. ASTRA will certainly not be everyone’s cup of tea, but personally I am looking forwards to the next book with curiosity and excitement.’ — Starburst Magazine

‘If there’s one thing I learned from reading SEOUL SURVIVORS and now ASTRA, it is that author Naomi Foyle has a remarkable way of making me feel. I have been shocked and disturbed by some of the ideas in her books, but likewise there have been times where the touching beauty of her writing has bought me to tears. Her stories might not necessarily read like heart-pounding thrillers or page-turners, but no matter what, they always pack a powerful punch… a bold dystopian tale… by following Astra through all three life stages, I feel like I’ve come to know her very well, and the author has managed to make me care deeply about her character. I didn’t even realize how completely immersed I’d been until I reached the end, and tears started coming to my eyes while reading a scene that was particularly touching. I don’t know if that would have hit me so hard emotionally if the book hadn’t been so well-written overall… an intensely deep, complex and thought-provoking narrative of the main character’s life. It’s a beautiful story, unique and daring, which serves as a solid foundation for everything else to come.’ — Bibliosanctum

‘Have you ever read a book that impressed you so much you had no real idea what to say about it…? This is one of those… an absolutely amazingly realised dystopian world… I honestly can’t remember the last time a book made me feel quite as strongly as this one did, while leaving me utterly unable to properly express those feelings. I feel like just flailing and pushing this book at people while weeping and hugging it between pushes. For a second novel, the mastery with which Foyle creates her world is astounding. The deft handling that brings Astra to life is breathtaking – and her journey is a heartbreaking thing, despite the fact that it has seemingly only just begun. If this book is any indication at all of what to expect from her, then I can say with pretty firm certainty that Naomi Foyle is a writer who’s absolutely worth watching out for.’ — Over the Effing Rainbow

‘ASTRA is just as thought-provoking as SEOUL SURVIVORS… and Foyle’s use of language and imagery is just as good, if not better as it was in her previous novel. Foyle manages to keep Astra’s voice distinctly her own, but tempered with more experience and as a result Astra’s perception and the narrative become more complex and sophisticated. She’s a fabulous main character and I really enjoyed reading about her… I enjoyed ASTRA immensely. The novel’s plot is fascinating, with an intricate web of relationships between Astra and those around them and the adults amongst themselves and some compelling political shenanigans going on in the background, all of it set down in Foyle’s smooth and flowing writing style. ‘ — Fantastical Librarian

‘This is excellent Science Fiction and I heartily recommend it … reminiscent of LeGuin.’ — Birmingham SF Group

SEOUL SURVIVORS

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‘Naomi Foyle is well placed to bring the little-known complexities of Korea’s contemporary cultural scene to the foreground of her imaginative leap into our future.’ — Mia Yun, author of House of the Winds

‘The taboo-breaking melting pot of SF/Noir and Horror that is Naomi Foyle’s searing debut SEOUL SURVIVORS is no exception – an unapologetic, hauntingly poetic and politically-fuelled vision of an entirely plausible and very dark future… smooth satirical storytelling skills, characters you immediately emotionally invest in, an absorbing plot, intriguing near future setting and an immediacy and tension to her language which keeps the narrative moving at the pace of a Juggernaut hurtling through the dark vacuum of space… cleverly exploits familiar SF trappings, deploying them in fresh and transgressive ways while still paying homage to her novel’s literary predecessors: William Gibson, Margaret Atwood, Anais Nin and Kathy Acker.’ — Alan Kelly, author of Let Me Die a Woman

‘If you like gritty, dark, and violent sci-fi, futuristic thrillers, SEOUL SURVIVORS by Naomi Foyle is just the book for you. Foyle works cloning, meteoric disaster, narcotic drug usage, depraved sex, and robotic cyborg creatures into her plot and that’s just to name a few of the topics covered… [a] fresh and exciting book.’ — Troubled Scribe

‘… takes a cast of quirky characters, sets them down in a convincingly portrayed near-future South Korea, then threatens them with Lucifer’s Hammer, a meteor that is scheduled to hit the planet. Beautiful Sydney Travers has come to Seoul to find her fortune as a fashion model, and finds herself involved with Canadian drug runner Damien Meadows and the silkily deceptive Dr Kim Da Mi, an ambiguously drawn possible saviour of humankind – or a demented megalomaniac. Foyle’s strengths are her impeccable plotting, her rendering of a futuristic Seoul and the depiction of Sydney Travers’ gradualinveiglement in the nightmare of Dr Kim’s cloning experiment.’ — Guardian

‘A highly regarded poet and performer, Naomi Foyle has drawn on her time living in Korea to produce a detailed and fascinating debut that deals with love, betrayal and an impending apocalypse. A fast paced, riveting story set in an all-too-real dark near future, this is a character driven novel that is not for the faint-hearted.’ — BSFA

‘… a full-on, non-stop near-future apocalyptic fertility-dystopian scare of a novel… It’s years since I read Neuromancer, but [I felt] the same excitement and energy… SEOUL SURVIVORS manages to talk about lots of serious things within a plot full of tension and drive. Naomi Foyle can really write.’ — And Then I Read A Book

‘SEOUL SURVIVORS is a book that defies all expectations. Just sitting back and letting the story be what it is can lead to some pleasant surprises amidst the dark twists and turns. The true nature of it can take a while to unravel, but the never-seen-before ideas and diverse cast of characters make this one an intriguing read. It touched me, and it also shook me to my core.’ — Bibliosanctum